How does Nebraska’s current legislation address the issue of statewide water quality?

In this lesson, students will establish a baseline understanding of Nebraska’s current water quality legislation. 

ACCESS THE FULL LESSSON PLAN

Discipline: Social Studies 

Sub-discipline(s): Civics

Grade level: 9-12

Teacher materials
Student materials

Summative Performance Task

Description: Using the bill/law files they created together, the students will write an essay about the current state of water quality legislation in their state. 

Assessment method(s): Essay

Assessment criteria: 

  • Did the student effectively  summarize the current state of water quality legislation in their state (based on the files their class created)?
  • Did the student make a logical argument about how water quality legislation in their state is likely to change (based on the files their class created)?
  • Can the student think critically about the water quality legislation in their state, identifying potential gaps that need to be addressed
  • Did the student explain multiple intended consequences of their solution plan?
  • Did the student identify multiple potential unintended consequences of their solution plan (both positive and negative)?
MORE INFORMATION

Taking Informed Action

Description: The students will add to and/or share the file archive they created during the lesson. 

Assessment method(s):  bill/law files, dialogue

Assessment criteria:

  • Can the student read, comprehend, and summarize the main points of a bill/law?
  • Can the student share thoughts coherently and respectfully within the context of a class discussion?
  • Can the student listen respectfully and attentively during class discussion?
  • Can the student recognize and summarize the similarities and differences between water quality legislation in two different states?
MORE INFORMATION

Types of activities featured in this lesson plan...

C3 Standards

  • D1.5.9-12 Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration multiple points of view represented in the sources, the types of sources available, and the potential uses of the sources. 
  • D2.Civ.7.9-12 Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with others. 
  • D2.Civ.8.9-12 Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times, and places, that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles. 
  • D2.Civ.9.9-12 Use appropriate deliberative processes in multiple settings. 
  • D4.1.9-12 Construct arguments using precise and knowledgeable claims, with evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging counterclaims and evidentiary weaknesses. 
  • D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.

Interdisciplinary Connections

Give your students a more integrated educational experience

Overlapping standards and skills

  • English: Activities in this lesson that involve writing (including the summative performance task) offer opportunities to assess the students’ writing skills. Language arts standards related to grade-level writing skills will be relevant. 
 
  • English: One skill that the students will acquire in this lesson is the ability to read bills and laws.  They will develop and practice bill/law reading strategies, read bills and laws for comprehension, and even attempt to evaluate how well-written certain bills and laws are. Furthermore, they will discuss whether the format, style, vocabulary, etc. commonly used for writing bills and laws is appropriate for the audiences for which they are written. All of these activities will fulfill standards LA. 10.RI.2 (“Analyze how the interaction of individuals, important events, and key ideas contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole”), LA. 10.RI.8 (“Read and comprehend a wide range of informational texts of appropriate complexity at the high end of the 9-10 grade band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range”), and LA. 10.V.1 (“Integrate grade-level academic vocabulary appropriately for a variety of tasks and purposes”).
  • History: In this lesson, as the students evaluate bills and laws according to how well they represent multiple citizen perspectives, they will “identify how differing experiences can lead to the development of perspectives” (SS HS.4.3.a (US)). 
 
  • History: In this lesson, the students will create a file archive for Nebraska’s  current and future water quality legislation. These activities could be altered or extended to fulfill HS.4.1 (US) (“analyze and evaluate patterns of continuity and change over time in American history”). For example, rather than just focusing on Nebraska’s current and future water quality legislation, the students could spend time analyzing how this legislation has evolved over time, and why. The end product for such an activity might be a timeline or historical essay.
 
  • Fine arts: The taking informed action activity for this lesson may involve creating a class mural that visually represents and communicates the information they collected for their bill/law file archive. As they complete this activity, “students will use the creative process to formulate a plan and implement aesthetic choices in artwork” (FA 12.2.1)

Relevant lessons from other disciplines

English: What does it mean to be a researcher?

click here to access